


An Unexpected Catch

by rkOujirou



Category: Ranma 1/2
Genre: F/F, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:39:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25803001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rkOujirou/pseuds/rkOujirou
Summary: Ryoga purchases the Fishing Pole of Love, hoping it will aid him in capturing Akane’s affections.  But what if, instead of Ryoga using it, the pole fell into the hands of an unsuspecting okonomiyaki chef?
Relationships: Kuonji Ukyou/Tendou Akane
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	An Unexpected Catch

**Author's Note:**

> This story is an alternate take on the Fishing Pole of Love story that takes place in Chapters 242-244 of the Ranma 1/2 manga. You do not need to have read that story arc to follow along with this story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Depending on how things go, I may continue this story beyond just a one-shot at some point.
> 
> Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is not my idea, it was created by a very talented manga artist named Rumiko Takahashi. Just so you know.

"Am I really going to use this thing?"

As the sun shone down on a pleasant Friday afternoon in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, Ryoga Hibiki stood at the corner of one of the area's residential intersections—a spot he knew to be along Akane Tendo's usual route home from school. With his back propped up against a wall, he held in his left hand a fishing pole with a small suction cup at the end of its line, studying it as he mulled over his options. This was the Fishing Pole of Love.

According to the shopkeeper he bought it from, it was a tool guaranteed to help him catch his true love. All someone had to do was hit the breast of their target with the suction cup and the target would be all theirs. Whether or not that was actually the case, who knew.

"There's no way it really works, right? Of course there isn't."

"Oh, Ryoga. What are you doing?"

Drawn from his train of thought by a girl's voice, Ryoga looked to his side. There was a familiar okonomiyaki chef in a male school uniform staring right at him.

"Ukyo?"

He hesitated to answer her. Nothing good would come from telling her about the fishing pole, he thought. Surely she would at least poke fun at him for it, if not worse. He needed to keep this thing's secret to himself.

"Uh, well, n-nothing really," he finally spat out.

Ukyo Kuonji eyed the martial artist suspiciously. She wasn't buying it.

"I'm, uh, trying to fix my fishing pole," Ryoga added, hoping that was good enough for her.

"Ohh, so that's it." Ukyo extended her palm out towards him. "Here, let me see it."

Again, Ryoga hesitated. "Err…why?"

"You don't spend as much time training by the sea as I have without learning a thing or two about fishing," Ukyo said. "C'mon, give it here."

Ryoga was in the midst of thinking up any excuse he could to not give it to her when, all of a sudden, he felt himself being driven downward.

Stomping down on Ryoga's head on his way past, Ranma Saotome kept on going along the road followed closely by Tatewaki Kuno, who rounded the corner after him. The fishing pole, jarred from Ryoga's grasp, made a short journey through the air before being snatched from it by Ukyo.

"Stand your ground, Saotome!" Kuno shouted, waving his wooden sword about.

Ranma stuck his tongue out as he looked back at his pursuer. "Catch me if ya can, moron!"

Ukyo blinked, watching as the two of them disappeared behind another corner. "Huh. Anyway…" With the pole now in her possession, she set her school bag down and examined the equipment closely, paying particular attention to what sat on its line. "Why's there a suction cup here? You're not gonna catch anything with this. You need bait, Hibiki."

She bobbed the fishing pole up and down a few times to get a feel for it. "Hmm. Let's give it a try."

Meanwhile, just a short distance away, Akane waved goodbye as a friend of hers took off down another street. "See you tomorrow!"

Akane was just looking ahead again when she felt something strike her chest. Lowering her gaze, she spotted a suction cup attached to her uniform. "What the-…uwah!"

"Oops. Let it get away from me a little there," Ukyo said, tugging on the line that had flown off behind her. "Am I snagged on something?"

As Ukyo turned around, she noticed Akane stumbling towards her. She quickly held out her hand, allowing the girl's shoulder to run into it to slow her momentum. "Whoa there! Gotcha!"

Ryoga was still shaking off the surprise attack when he saw the entire scene unfold from below. His jaw nearly dropped to the pavement.

"Ukyo! What is this?" Akane asked.

"Sorry 'bout that, Akane." Ukyo laughed. "I was just trying to fix Ryoga's fishing pole for him. Seems like it works fine though."

Only now did Akane notice Ryoga laying there next to them. "Oh, Ryoga! Hi there. I haven't seen you in a while."

Ryoga halfheartedly raised his hand, still trying to process what he just witnessed. "H-hey there, Akane."

Giving the line a yank, Ukyo popped the suction cup off of Akane. "Looks like your uniform is fine. Good thing this didn't have a hook on it instead." She knelt down, sliding the fishing pole's handle back into Ryoga's hand before retrieving her bag. "Love to stay and chat, but I need to open the restaurant for dinner. See ya, you two!"

With a brief wave of her wrist, Ukyo was gone.

Ryoga stared down the fishing pole, his mind filled with dread. Ukyo…she just…!

"So, how long have you been back?" Akane asked him.

"Huh? Oh, I-I just got back today," Ryoga replied, trying to act normal as he pulled himself to his feet. He directed her attention towards a bag of souvenirs he had with him. "I actually brought you some gifts from my travels."

"Really? Thank you!"

"Here, let me carry them back to the house for you."

"Always so kind."

Together, the two of them headed for the Tendo home. It should have been bliss for Ryoga, being able to spend time alone with Akane like this. Alas, all he could think about was the effect of the fishing pole.

Akane was caught by Ukyo. Did that mean…?

"Umm, Akane, what do you think of…Ukyo?"

"Ukyo? That's a strange thing to ask. Did something happen with her?"

"N-no! It's nothing. Forget about it."

That was a normal response, Ryoga thought. Of course it was. The fishing pole was just a stupid toy, after all. There was no way it would make someone fall for you.

It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination. Once inside the gate, however, Ryoga abruptly set down the bag of souvenirs.

"Actually, I just remembered something I have to do really quick! I'll be back!"

Before Akane could get so much as a word out, Ryoga was off running, vanishing from sight around the side of the house.

"That was weird. I wonder what that was about." Swearing she heard a splash somewhere nearby, Akane picked up the bag and stepped inside. "I'm home!"

While Akane slipped off her shoes, a pattering against the floorboards ahead of her caught her interest. As it turned out, a little, black piglet was running to greet her.

"P-chan!"

The piglet leaped up into the girl's welcoming hug.

"When did you get here?" Akane asked excitedly.

No matter what he told himself, Ryoga couldn't stop worrying about that fishing pole. This way, disguised as P-chan, he would be able to keep an eye on Akane properly.

Akane sat down with the rest of her family after sorting through Ryoga's gifts, sharing with everyone some fresh pastries that were among them. Ryoga paid close attention to her behavior, but nothing she did nor anything she said during that time struck him as being unusual.

Later that night, while she was getting ready to take her bath, Akane paused. "Hmm, I kind of feel like going to the bathhouse tonight." She gathered up her soap, shampoo and other necessities and squatted down before her pet pig. "I'm going to the bathhouse for a bit, so be a good boy and wait here for me, okay?"

Akane gave the piglet a rub on its head and took her leave.

As much as he didn't want to let her out of his sight, Ryoga knew he couldn't follow her there. Even if he didn't get lost along the way, a room full of hot water was a recipe for disaster. It was just the bathhouse anyway, he figured. No big deal. Better to wait for her to get back.

* * *

Elsewhere, at Okonomiyaki Ucchan's, a yukata-clad Ukyo came down the stairs to the first floor of her restaurant with a wooden bath bucket in hand.

"That was a busy night," she said, her tone weary. "I'm gonna enjoy this soak."

Ready to head out, she slid the front door open.

"Hi!"

Ukyo jumped back, nearly dropping her bucket. Beneath the streetlights outside, an acquaintance of hers was smiling at her cheerfully. "A-…Akane?"

"Sorry, did I surprise you?"

"Yeah, a little. What brings you here this time of night?"

Akane held up her own bath bucket. "I was going to the bathhouse and thought I'd see if you wanted to come."

The suggestion earned Akane a curious look from the okonomiyaki chef. "Huh, that's different. Well, I was just heading there myself, so I guess it's fine."

"Great, let's go!"

Once Ukyo locked up the restaurant, she and her unexpected companion were off.

Akane tagging along didn't necessarily bother Ukyo, but she couldn't help finding it odd that the girl invited her in the first place. "Is your bath at home having problems?"

"No, I just wanted to go to the bathhouse for a change. It's so much more spacious there, you know?"

"True..."

After arriving, the two of them undressed and stepped into the bathing area. The moist, steamy air within enveloped their bodies. There were a number of women there already, as was common in the evenings. Without a bath of her own in the restaurant, Ukyo was quite accustomed to this place.

The girls sat down next to each other at the room's washing section. Though Akane's behavior thus far was mostly what Ukyo expected, she still couldn't shake the feeling that something was weird about all of this.

As Akane dumped a pail of hot water over herself, Ukyo glanced over at her. That was when she noticed a small, circular mark on the girl's right bosom. "Hey, how did you get that mark?"

Offering a quizzical look, Akane peeked down at her chest. "Ah, you're right, there is something." She gave it a little rub to see if it would come off, which it didn't. "I guess it must have been from that suction cup earlier."

"From the fishing pole? It did that even through your school uniform?" Ukyo asked incredulously. "Sorry! I really didn't mean to."

"It's fine. It doesn't hurt any. It'll probably go away in a day or two." Holding her towel over herself, Akane stood up. "More importantly, let me wash your back!"

"Huh?" Ukyo raised an eyebrow. "O-oh, sure."

Akane scooted her stool behind Ukyo and took a seat. Soaping up a washcloth, she pressed it to Ukyo's back and gently scrubbed away, humming a playful tune all the while.

Ukyo closed her eyes, gradually allowing the tension to leave her body. Not that she minded this sort of thing, but she had to wonder why Akane was being so nice to her.

"Is this okay?" Akane asked. "It's not too much pressure or anything?"

"No, it's perfect. Nice and relaxing. I can't remember the last time someone washed my back for me."

"Good. I'm glad I came, then."

Before long, Ukyo felt a splash of hot water as Akane rinsed her off.

"All done."

Akane sat back down at her washing station, and Ukyo, not one to leave a debt unpaid, slid her own seat behind the girl. "Here, I'll return the favor," she said, grabbing a washcloth. "I can't be the only one getting a nice scrub."

"Really?" Akane lit up with a smile. "Thank you!"

Once they were done washing, Ukyo and Akane stepped into the bath and sank down into the heated water. They stretched their legs out and laid back, letting the warmth soak in.

"This is always one of my favorite parts of the day," Ukyo said, her hair tied up by a towel.

"I bet, as hard as you work," Akane replied. "I don't think I could manage to do what you do every day."

"Nah, it's nothing special."

"It is! You moved here on your own and you run a business all by yourself. And you're still just in high school! Honestly, I really admire that perseverance of yours."

Taken aback by the declaration, Ukyo sank a little further into the bath. "Wow. I…never expected to hear something like that coming from you. I always thought there were some hard feelings there because of the whole thing with Ran-chan."

"That isn't your fault though," Akane insisted. "I'm just glad we can still be friends."

Ukyo batted her eyes, giving those words a chance to process. Akane thought of them as friends? Huh. She never knew.

* * *

Akane was home before Ryoga knew it, not so different from before aside from having a little extra pep in her step. A nice, hot soak in a bath would do that for you, he imagined.

After changing into her pajamas, Akane did some studying and then crawled into bed for the night, cuddling her pet piglet to her chest. Even now, Ryoga sensed nothing out of the ordinary about her. In the end, he was just worrying over nothing, he thought. The fishing pole really was just a toy. What a waste of money.

Oh well. Time to sleep.

"Are you still awake, P-chan?" Akane asked.

The piglet gave a light snort in reply, only half listening as it drifted off.

"It's strange. I can't stop thinking about Ukyo tonight."

In an instant, P-chan's eyes shot open, wide awake as could be.

"She's really amazing." Akane rubbed the side of her face into her pillow, letting out a dreamy sigh. "I like her a lot."

P-chan slowly looked up at her, a bead of sweat rolling down its snout.

"I can't wait to see her at school tomorrow."

Akane shut her eyes, allowing sleep to take her at last.

As he watched Akane slumber, the sweat drops multiplied on Ryoga's face. That wasn't normal at all!

Going through painstaking efforts to first free himself from Akane's grasp and then find some hot water he could use to change back into his human form, Ryoga returned to his belongings and dug out the fishing pole's instructions, scaling up to the Tendo home's rooftop so that he could use the moonlight to read them over.

"The one struck will have a mark placed on their breast. As the mark grows, so will the person's love. And it changes into…a carp?"

Ryoga clenched his fist, crushing the instructions within it. "I can't check, but…there has to be a mark there. Crap! How am I supposed to get rid of it? The instructions don't say. This is bad!"

Sliding on his backpack, he jumped down from the roof, hopped over the compound's wall, and ran through the streets like he'd never run before.

"I can't tell anyone about this! If they find out what I was trying to do, I'll never hear the end of it! I need to find that shopkeeper and get him to tell me how to undo this thing before something really bad happens!"

* * *

Come Saturday morning, as the birds sang away atop their branches outside, Akane was getting dressed for school. At the same time, she checked around her room for a certain piglet that had gone missing. "I wonder where P-chan went."

She hadn't yet put her shirt on when she crossed in front of her mirror in her search, giving herself a good look at the mark upon her breast.

"Hey, it's still there," she said, looking at it directly now. "Actually, isn't it bigger? It…kind of looks like a little fish. I'll have to keep an eye on it I guess. I need to get going, though."

At breakfast, Akane was given perplexed looks by the others at the table as she hummed happily to herself while she ate.

"My, you certainly seem to be in a good mood, Akane," Kasumi said. "Did something nice happen?"

Akane flashed her sister a big grin. "Maybe." Setting her rice bowl and chopsticks down, she hurried to her feet. "I'm heading out!"

Grunting, Ranma scrambled to finish his meal. "Always making me rush," he grumbled, quickly following Akane on the way out. "Hey, wait up!"

"Ranma! Take your umbrella with you! It's supposed to rain later!" his father, Genma, shouted. "And hurry home after school!"

Even after his daughter had gone, her upbeat behavior lingered on the mind of Soun Tendo. "I wonder what happened to make Akane so cheery."

"Maybe she got a boyfriend," Nabiki suggested.

Soun promptly choked on a piece of grilled fish he was savoring, turning a glare on his old friend seated nearby. "Saotome! What did your boy do this time?"

"How should I know?" Genma roared in his defense. "Don't jump to conclusions like that!"

* * *

Meanwhile, well outside of Tokyo, Ryoga stumbled through a patch of tall grass, his face and clothes dirtied from a night of endless searching.

"I can't…sleep. I need to…find…that shop."

Coming into a clearing, he spotted a road sign not far away. The sign read "Yokohama" and had an arrow pointing up ahead.

Ryoga paused. "Was the shop...in Yokohama?"

* * *

Over at Okonomiyaki Ucchan's, Ukyo was getting ready for school herself. She tied her hair into a ponytail, allowing it to fall against the back of the uniform from her previous school.

"Oh, right. I should bring my umbrella today."

Once everything was in order, she stepped outside.

"Ukyo!"

Hearing her name being called, Ukyo looked back over her shoulder to see Akane running her way, waving to get her attention. "Akane?"

"Morning!" Akane slowed as she approached the girl.

"Morning. What's up?"

"Nothing. I just felt like walking to school together."

"You...did?"

First yesterday, and now this. These appearances by Akane were catching Ukyo off guard.

The jingling of a nearby fence drew Ukyo's eyes upward, where she spotted Ranma running along the top of the structure. "Hey! Morning, Ran-chan."

"Morning." Ranma stuffed his free hand into his pocket, turning an inquisitive glance upon his fiancées. "When did you two start getting along so well?"

Ukyo was wondering the same thing. "Well, uh…"

"What are you saying? We always have." Akane gave the other girl a playful nudge.

Ranma scratched the back of his head. "Really? Guess I never noticed."

Yeah, me either, Ukyo thought.

In the afternoon, the voice of their Japanese history teacher boomed throughout the classroom.

"Remember, you'll have a big test when you come back on Monday! It's going to cover the last six weeks worth of material, so be sure you study."

As the lesson continued on, Ukyo stared out the window. There were some dark clouds rolling in. Bringing that umbrella was a good call, she decided.

She looked back to the front of the classroom, but rather than the blackboard catching her eye, it was Akane. There the girl was, smiling back at her. Once she saw she had Ukyo's attention, she waved at her briefly before returning to her note-taking.

Ukyo cocked her head. What was that about?

Sure enough, the rains not only came but were still ongoing when the bell rang to dismiss everyone for the day.

It was pouring heavily when Ranma exited Furinkan High, stepping out beneath the school's canopy. He was just opening up the umbrella his father thankfully reminded him to bring when he felt a strong tug on his shirt sleeve. "Wha-…hey!"

Yanked behind one of the canopy's pillars, he was hurriedly shushed by Ukyo.

"Ucchan? What's going on?"

"Have you noticed anything different about Akane lately?" Ukyo asked him.

"Akane?" Ranma gave it some thought. "I guess she was in a good mood this morning, but that's about it. Why?"

"I don't know. It's just…she's been really _nice_ since yesterday and I'm not sure why."

"Huh. Did you do something for her?"

"Not that I know of. I'm _so_ confused right now."

"Ah, don't worry about it. Maybe she tried cooking and made something that was actually edible for once." Ranma had to laugh at his own quip. "Anyway, I gotta go. Pop wants me to start some kinda new training today. You got an umbrella?"

Ukyo held her umbrella up, proud of her own foresight. "I'm good."

" 'Kay. See ya, Ucchan."

As Ranma rushed off, Ukyo sighed. She watched the torrential rain for a moment, knowing she was about to step out into it. "It's really coming down."

Suddenly, Ukyo let out a bewildered yelp. Something was poking her between the shoulder blades. She quickly spun around.

"Foooound you!" Akane giggled.

"Akane! That scared me!"

"Sorry, sorry. Hey, do you have an umbrella?"

"Y-yeah."

"You do? Thank goodness! I forgot mine today. Could you share yours with me?"

"Err…sure, I don't mind. But why don't you just-" Ukyo stopped herself. She distinctly remembered glancing at the loaner umbrella bin on her way out. The thing was already empty. "Oh, right. Never mind. Let's go."

"Yes!" Akane clapped her hands together. "Thanks so much!"

With as much rain as there had been, water was already pooling into large puddles in the roads as Ukyo and Akane put some distance between themselves and the school.

"That Japanese history test next week sounds like it's going to be rough," Akane said, sticking close to her classmate to make sure she stayed beneath the girl's umbrella. "Do you think you're ready for it?"

"Not at all." Ukyo groaned. "I'll have to find some time to hit the books before then."

"Well, if you don't mind, we could get together and study for it sometime."

The thought of studying brought a gloomy expression to Ukyo's face. "Not exactly my idea of a good time, but I suppose I probably should. All right, fine."

Akane nearly left her feet over the positive response. "Great! How about tonight after you close?"

"Tonight? Nah. Sunday is a busy day for me, so I don't want to stay up too late studying the night before. How 'bout tomorrow night instead?"

"Sure! I'll be over after dinner, then."

"Eh? You're coming over? Wouldn't you rather do it at your house?"

"We could, but it gets rowdy a lot with everyone staying there. We might not be able to study properly." Akane lowered her head, watching her feet as she walked across the soaked pavement. Clasping one hand in the other, she pulled her school bag close to her chest. "I'd rather do it somewhere with more…privacy. You know?"

"Hmm." Ukyo pondered it some. "I guess you've got a point. Well, my place is a little cramped, but it should be fine."

As they continued on, Ukyo could hear a car coming their way from behind. That was no problem in itself as they were well out of its way, but, as Ukyo soon noticed, another issue was in play here: a gargantuan puddle of rain water sat in the road off to their side.

"Look out!"

Ukyo acted quickly, pulling Akane close and lowering her umbrella to shield them. The car's tires sent a wave of water crashing into the umbrella, but not a single drop managed to hit them.

As the car drove off, Ukyo breathed a sigh of relief, raising the umbrella back up above them. "Whew, that was a close one. Got rained on a little, but it's a heck of a lot better than getting splashed."

An odd silence from Akane drew Ukyo's gaze to her side. Shying away, Akane fidgeted within the girl's grasp, a blush spreading across her face.

"Th-…thank you."

Ukyo immediately let go of her, having to fight the urge to jump back lest she allow Akane to get drenched. That expression…what was that?

Akane peeked up at her timidly. "Should we...get going?"

"Oh, y-yeah."

Their trek resumed, but Ukyo couldn't shake the image of what was seen from her mind. What was with that cute look just now?

Her eyes went wide as something grabbed her by the inside of her elbow. A quick look to the side confirmed what she thought—but didn't quite believe—it was: Akane's arm was wrapped around her own. "Um…what are you…?"

"Hmm? Just trying not to get wet." A faint smile played on Akane's lips, her cheeks still with a hint of color to them. "What's wrong? It's normal, isn't it?"

Ukyo's mouth opened and closed wordlessly before she finally formulated a response. "I…guess so?"

Was it? Did girls normally do this with their friends? Ukyo was always moving around and pretending to be a boy, so she never got the chance to find out.

It wasn't much longer before they reached the restaurant, taking shelter beneath the awning over the entrance. The rain gradually let up throughout the last leg of their walk. Now, it wasn't coming down anywhere near as hard as it was before.

Ukyo closed her umbrella, shaking the water from its canopy. "It ought to stop raining soon. You should come inside 'til it's done."

"Sure, if it's not too much trouble," Akane replied.

The two of them stepped inside, and Ukyo flipped on the lights. She took the large spatula from her back, leaning it up against the counter as Akane shut the door.

"Give me just a minute while I change into my work clothes," Ukyo said, heading up the stairs to her room.

Akane set her school bag down by the counter. Left alone for the time being, she took a close look around the restaurant. It was easy to tell the place was cleaned very recently; everything was virtually spotless.

She walked along the floor, brushing her hand against the cushions of the stools and the smooth surface of the counter. Along the wall, the menu listings hung without a speck of dust stuck to them—one of the little things that left good impressions on customers, Akane imagined.

All in all, the room was small, but it definitely had a certain charm to it.

"Cozy."

Akane's eyes fell upon the oversized spatula left behind by its owner. Smiling, she grabbed hold of it and hoisted it up into the air.

"It's heavier than you'd think. Well, it's not like she doesn't have the strength to handle it." She glided her fingertips across the flat blade at the end, looking upon the weapon fondly. "She always…has this with her."

Closing her eyes, Akane rubbed her cheek softly against the spatula's handle. She let out a contented breath.

At that moment, she heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. Swiftly, she set the spatula back down where she found it.

"Sorry for the wait," Ukyo said, re-entering the restaurant proper. Her school attire was replaced by a pair of black leggings, a top with the sleeves tied back and a white bow tied up in her hair—all much more comfortable for the job.

Akane clasped her hands behind her back. "No problem. I get the feeling _someone_ has been busy cleaning in their free time."

"It shows, huh?" Ukyo was glad to hear it. "Hey, so long as you're here, I've been working on a new sauce over the last couple weeks. I don't suppose you could try it out for me? Tell me what you think?"

The other girl's face brightened. "I'd love to!"

"Really? Well, take a seat, then." Ukyo gave the counter a pat.

While Akane plopped down onto one of the stools, Ukyo walked around the counter to her cooking space and fired up the griddle. She gathered several ingredients as the flat, metal plate heated up, placing them into a metallic bowl and mixing them together.

"I'll just make you a mini okonomiyaki to put the sauce on. Don't want to spoil your dinner or anything. So, what toppings you feeling today?"

"Mmm…squid and pork!"

"Comin' right up."

Ukyo poured some cooking oil onto the griddle, spreading it out into a wider area using a spatula. Once that was taken care of, she emptied half of the batter from her bowl onto it, forming it into a flat circle.

The aroma of the cabbage and eggs being cooked was already reaching Akane as the batter sizzled atop the cooking surface.

After letting it cook for a bit, Ukyo added two pieces of squid before placing the rest of the batter on top. With the further addition of a couple strips of pork, it was time to show the top side some love now. She flipped the okonomiyaki-to-be over with a single swipe of her spatula, adding the scent of cooking pork to the air in the room.

Outside, the sound of rain coming down was all but gone, but Akane was too engrossed in watching the food preparation to notice. "You make it look so effortless."

Ukyo puffed her chest out, holding her head high. "I haven't been training my whole life for nothing."

She let the pork-covered side cook for some time and then flipped it again. After a couple more flips, it was ready for the finishing touch. Ukyo painted her experimental sauce over the mini okonomiyaki, topping it off with some mayonnaise, aonori and bonito flakes.

"And done!"

Normally she would just leave the okonomiyaki on the grill, but as this one was already so small and wouldn't take very long to eat, she went ahead and set it on a plate, placing it on the counter in front of Akane.

Ukyo handed the girl a pair of chopsticks and a clean spatula. "Give it a try!"

Akane used the blade of the spatula to cut the okonomiyaki into four equal pieces before snatching one with her chopsticks. "Let's eat!" She took the bite into her mouth, placing a hand against her cheek as she savored its taste. "Mmm, so good."

"Really? Anything about the sauce?" Ukyo asked.

"Hmm." Akane ate a second piece. "I can definitely taste the difference from before. It's good, but…maybe it could be sweeter?"

"Sweeter?" Ukyo brought a hand to her chin, giving it some thought. "Hmm…sweeter…"

Akane picked up another piece of the okonomiyaki and held it up to Ukyo's lips. "Here. Ahhh!"

So lost in her focus was Ukyo that she didn't so much as consider the situation before accepting the bite.

"See?" Akane said, taking the final piece for her own enjoyment.

Ukyo chewed the offering slowly, analyzing the taste for herself before swallowing it down. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Should I add more honey? I'll have to try out some things. Thanks, Akane. Sometimes you just need an outside opinion on this stuff."

Akane set her chopsticks down on her plate. "No problem at all. Thanks for the meal."

While Ukyo took the dish from the counter, she stopped to listen to the weather outside. "Sounds like the rain's done."

She turned around, flipping on the water in the sink behind her to wash the plate off.

Akane rested her head in her palm, taking in the chef's form as she worked. Her eyes wandered downward across her back and over the curves of her hips, fixating on the girl's bottom. Her cheeks pinked, and her mind drifted off.

As she finished up, Ukyo looked back over her shoulder. "By the way-" She stopped. Noticing Akane's stare, she looked down at herself, then back at her classmate. "What?"

Akane snapped back to reality, pulling her eyes away in a hurry. "O-oh, nothing! I just thought you spilled something on your leggings." Hopping to her feet, she grabbed her school bag. "Anyway, I'll get going so you can open up. I'll see you tomorrow night for studying, okay?"

"Oh, yeah."

"All right. See you then!"

After Akane left, Ukyo glanced down at her behind again, stretching out her leggings to get a better look. "Where did I spill?"

With the skies clearing up, allowing the sun to peek through outside the restaurant, Akane skipped along the road on her way home. She did a little twirl, swinging her school bag around as she sang a blissful tune to herself.

* * *

That evening, in definitely-not-Yokohama, an old shopkeeper with a gray beard stood behind his counter. Stretching his arms, he let out a yawn so loud that people in the neighboring businesses could probably hear it. He promptly jumped to attention, however, as someone slammed their hand against the door frame of his shop, squeezing it hard enough that the wood cracked under the pressure.

"I…I finally…found it!" Ryoga exclaimed, panting from exhaustion.

"Oh, the young man who bought the fishing pole!" The shopkeeper recognized him. "How did it go? Did you catch your true love?"

"No!" Ryoga roared. "Someone else caught her first!"

The old man couldn't help but laugh. "Hah! That's some rotten luck, sonny."

"It isn't funny!" Storming up to the counter, Ryoga grabbed two handfuls of the shopkeeper's shirt. "You tell me how to undo this thing! Now!"

* * *

The next day, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Akane was up in her room going through her wardrobe, trying to figure out the best thing to wear to Ukyo's tonight.

"Would this work? Mmm…no, it's too plain. I need something that will get her attention."

As she removed the blouse she was trying out, Akane again noticed the mark on her chest. "Did it get bigger again? Now it _really_ looks like a fish. It's got fins and everything." She gave it a little poke. "Maybe I should get it looked at. Well, it can wait until tomorrow. Tonight is too important."

After dinner, Akane came down into the family room. "I'm leaving!"

She had her purse strapped over the shoulder of a conservative sundress bursting with the designs of radiant sunflowers. The white sandals she carried, which were likely to be almost hidden beneath the ankle-length dress, matched the color of her hairband and a tote bag containing her study material for the night.

Soun and Genma were wrapped up in a fierce game of go, but Kasumi, Nabiki and Ranma made sure to take notice of the girl.

"My, how pretty." Kasumi beamed.

"Thanks! I won't be out too late."

"All right. Have a nice time."

Kasumi's smile persisted after her sister was gone. "I'm so glad Akane and Ukyo are getting along well after everything that's happened."

"Kinda weird if you ask me," Ranma said, going back to watching TV.

Nabiki, meanwhile, had her sights fixed on the doorway Akane just left through. "She's got a _date_."

That last word drew everyone's attention to Nabiki, including the two who had been playing go.

"A date?" Kasumi said. "Akane wouldn't lie about going to study, though."

"A-absolutely not!" Soun said in agreement, hoping he was right.

"You must be imagining it." Genma laughed.

"Oh?" Nabiki slapped her hand down onto the table. "So I was the only one who caught a whiff of her perfume just now?"

The room went quiet.

A tense atmosphere building, Soun turned a fiery glare on Ranma. "Go check on her right this instant!"

"Huh? Why do I have to-" Ranma, noticing his father walking over to him, cut himself off.

Genma grabbed his son by the back of his shirt, carried him over to the garden and booted him right out of the house. "Just do it!"

* * *

Disgruntled, to say the least, Ranma hurried along the streets, hoping to catch sight of his fiancée.

"This is such a pain! There's no way she's got a date."

Up ahead, he spotted that bright sundress of Akane's rounding a corner. " _There_ she is."

Ranma approached the turn stealthily, poking his head out from behind the wall so as not to be noticed. He watched as Akane strode up to the entrance of Okonomiyaki Ucchan's.

Inside the restaurant, Ukyo was resting on one of the stools at the counter when she heard the door slide open.

"I'm here!" Akane announced.

"Hey, Akane," Ukyo greeted her. "Good timing, I just finished closing up. Cute dress."

"Thank you." The compliment perked Akane up on the spot. She didn't regret her choice of attire. "How was it today?"

"Super busy," Ukyo said, leaning back on her hands.

"You made it through, though." Akane giggled. "So, ready to study?"

Ukyo couldn't have looked more unenthusiastic. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Outside, Ranma, who had been peeking through the door, quietly slid it shut. He walked off with a snort. "Those guys are out of their minds. It's just the two of them studying. What a waste of time."

Sitting up straight upon her stool, Ukyo rubbed her shoulder, letting out an audible groan as she readied herself to get up. "I'm beat."

"Really?" That gave Akane an idea. "I know what you need."

"A vacation?" Ukyo joked.

Akane set down her tote bag and purse and made her way around behind Ukyo. Raising both hands up, she grasped the areas between the girl's neck and shoulders, drawing a gasp from her.

"A nice massage!"

"Wha?" Ukyo spun to look back at her. "Oh, you don't have to-"

"It's fine," Akane assured her. "I give them to my dad sometimes. I'm not as good as Kasumi, but practicing with him taught me just how much strength to use."

Ukyo didn't want to ask too much of her guest, but turning her down would have been rude in its own way, she figured. "Well, if you insist."

Akane got right to work. She started at the neck and transitioned over to Ukyo's shoulders, lightly kneading the muscle along the way—a stark difference from the early days of making her father cry out in pain from using too much pressure.

"See? Not so bad, right?" Akane asked, her hands on a return path back towards the young chef's neck now.

"No, it does feel pretty good," Ukyo admitted. "I've…never really gotten massages before."

Akane's interest was piqued. "As much as you work? You deserve one every now and then."

"Maybe." Ukyo closed her eyes and relaxed. She sniffed the air, picking up on a flowery fragrance she wasn't aware of until now. "Are you wearing perfume?"

"A little bit," Akane replied. "I just got it not too long ago and felt like trying it out."

She massaged her way down Ukyo's trapezius muscle and beyond, rubbing all the way down the girl's back. Though they were faint, she could hear the satisfied noises involuntarily escaping from Ukyo's mouth. Once Akane reached Ukyo's waistline, she placed her knuckles against the muscles to either side of the girl's spine and ran them up all the way to the top of her back. This time, Ukyo couldn't stifle the moan it brought about.

"You liked that move, didn't you?" Akane teased her.

That voice was softer, closer than Ukyo remembered, but she was too at ease to care at this point. "S-sort of, yeah."

Akane was working over towards the shoulders again when her hands slowed to a near-stop, and Ukyo heard a deep inhale of breath just behind her ear. Her eyes shooting open, Ukyo jolted free of Akane's grip, stumbling over the stool in front of her. She landed on her rear on the floor, staring up at Akane with a look of pure bewilderment.

Across from her, Akane tried to cover up her laugh. "I'm sorry! I didn't think you would get so spooked. Your hair was soaking in that okonomiyaki smell all day, and I just…couldn't help myself."

Ukyo batted her eyes. "O-…kaaaaay."

Akane took a step forward, offering Ukyo her hand. "I hope you feel a little better, at least. Should we head upstairs?"

With a hint of hesitation, Ukyo finally accepted the help in getting back up. "Yeah, I guess we should get started, huh?"

Akane retrieved her tote bag and purse, and Ukyo led the way to the next floor.

As relaxed as Ukyo felt just a minute ago, her body was back to being tense as could be after Akane smelled her hair. What was that just now? Sure, it was probably true that her hair had the scent of okonomiyaki to it. Was she just overreacting?

At the top of the stairs, Ukyo opened the door to her room above the restaurant. The room wasn't the largest as it was, but the desk and dresser along the wall, among other furniture, made it feel that much smaller.

Inside, a table was set out in the middle of the floor. Akane spotted Ukyo's Japanese history book and her notes already laid out atop it.

"Were you doing some studying on your own?" Akane asked, setting her things down.

"I had some free time after I woke up today, so I figured I might as well." Ukyo dropped down in front of her book and gave her arms a healthy stretch. "Okay, let's do this."

Getting out her own material, Akane set everything down on the table. Rather than sitting at the other end of it, however, she took a seat directly beside Ukyo, the two of them so close their legs and shoulders were touching.

Ukyo immediately glanced over at Akane, whose behavior couldn't have appeared more nonchalant as she searched through her book for the proper starting page. Wordlessly, Ukyo scooted away to put some space between them.

Akane, still focused on the book, scooted along with her.

Her gaze sliding down to Akane's lower body and then back up, Ukyo scooted again.

Akane looked back at her now, moving closer once more.

After repeating the process two more times, a smile played on Akane's lips.

Not even in front of the table anymore, the two of them engaged in four more scoots, Akane's face drawing nearer with each one. So close were they now that with one more scoot the tips of their noses would be touching.

Panicking, Ukyo sprung to her feet. "Y-y'know, I'd really like to make some tea for us real quick before we begin!"

"Oh, sure," Akane replied, not speaking a word regarding her actions. "I'll go ahead and get started then."

"Yeah! I'll just…be right back."

Ukyo could hardly walk straight on her way out of the room. Closing the door behind her, she fell to all fours in the hallway. "I wasn't overreacting at all. What is going ooooonnn?"

* * *

Outside the Tendo home, the training dummy sticking out from the ground reeled from a sharp kick to its upper torso courtesy of Ranma.

"All right, fifty more to go!"

Ranma was readying to unleash his next attack when he heard the sound of a wall crumbling.

Nearby, Ryoga, clutching a walking stick, wearily let his fist drop to his side as he stood before the newly-made gap in the wall. "I…I made it back!" He grabbed the fishing pole protruding from his backpack and pulled it out. "Need to…find…Akane!"

Feeling a sharp slap against his back, Ryoga collapsed onto the rubble.

"Yo! What's up, P-chan?" Ranma greeted him.

Ryoga growled up at him, pushing himself up off the ground. "Damn you, Ranma. I don't have time for you right now! Where is Akane?"

"Akane? Tough luck. She's studying over at Ucchan's."

The color drained from Ryoga's face. "What?! I…I was too late! I need to get there!"

Though his rival willed himself back to his feet in an effort to leave, Ranma put an end to those efforts by grabbing the back of the boy's shirt. "You were _too late_? What do you mean by that?"

Ryoga, realizing now what he said, clammed up in a hurry. "N-nothing! Just…go back to whatever you were doing!"

Not satisfied with the response, Ranma wrapped his left leg over Ryoga's and came under and around his right arm, pulling it back and twisting the martial artist into an abdominal stretch. Ryoga's resulting cries of pain proved the maneuver's effectiveness.

"What'd you do? Spill it!"

"NEVER!"

"Oh yeah?"

Ranma sank the move in deeper, drawing a howl from the depths of Ryoga's lungs.

* * *

Within the lower floor of Ucchan's, Ukyo absently set a pair of cups and a dispenser filled with steaming hot tea onto a tray. She was so preoccupied with Akane's behavior that she barely remembered making it.

"There's something off here," she said, feeling apprehensive about going back upstairs. "Well, no point in beating around the bush about it. I just need to come out and ask her what the deal is."

Ukyo picked up the tray and scaled the stairs back up to her room. Steeling her nerves, she slid the door open.

Inside, Ukyo was surprised to see her futon rolled out on the floor. Laying at the edge of it, facing away from her, was Akane.

"She got my futon out? Is she…asleep? Was she that tired?"

Ukyo closed the door as she entered. Setting the tea down, she approached the futon for a closer look. Sure enough, Akane appeared to be sleeping. That was strange. She felt bad about waking her up, but if she just let her sleep they'd never get any studying done.

"Hey, Akane?" Ukyo leaned down, tapping her on the elbow. "Are you-?"

Suddenly, Ukyo was grabbed by her wrist and flipped onto the futon on her back. Akane straddled the girl's midsection, pinning her hands down and interlacing their fingers together.

"Caught you!" Akane looked positively giddy, as if she'd won some sort of game.

Ukyo had to collect her thoughts after the abrupt turn of events. "Uh, Akane, what are…you doing?"

"You kept running away before I could tell you. I had to do this so you'd listen."

"L-listen to what?"

A shy demeanor coming over her, Akane averted her eyes. "I…really like you, Ukyo. Actually, I'm in… _love_ …with you."

Ukyo's mouth hung open in disbelief of what she was hearing. "Wha-…what?"

"I wanted to study like we were supposed to, but I just can't calm down when I'm around you," Akane continued. "My heart beats really fast, and I get this fuzzy feeling all over."

As Akane looked upon her again, Ukyo saw a passion in the girl's eyes the likes of which she'd never experienced before.

"There's…no one but us here tonight," Akane said, lowering her body onto Ukyo's. "You know what I'm getting at, right?"

"Huh?" Ukyo's voice came out in a squeak as Akane's lips drew near. "Whoa! Down, girl! Hold on just a-!"

Hearing the rapid thumps of footsteps coming up the staircase, both of them looked to the door as it was thrust open. Standing in the doorway, slightly winded and holding Ryoga's fishing pole in his hand, was Ranma.

Ranma struggled to find the right words for the scene he just came upon. "Err…wow. Ryoga wasn't kidding about this thing, was he?"

Akane furrowed her brow at the intruder. "You!"

"Ran-chan!" Ukyo quickly remembered the sensitive position she was in. "This…this isn't what it looks like!"

Ranma held up his hand assuringly. "Don't worry, I know all about it," he said, turning his attention to the Tendo girl. "Akane, you're not really in love with Ucchan. It's all because of this stupid fishing pole Ryoga bought."

Akane looked at him as though he were out of his mind. "What are you talking about?"

Behind Ranma, Ryoga clutched the door frame as he managed to catch up to him at last. "Ranma, you…" And with that, he collapsed into the room.

"Look, whoever you catch with this thing falls in love with you," Ranma explained, holding up the fishing pole. "Did you hit Akane with it, Ucchan?"

Everything was starting to make sense to Ukyo now. "So _that's_ why! I knew something fishy was going on!"

Akane let go of Ukyo and stood up, allowing the other girl to retreat back towards the door. "You're lying."

"The heck I am!" Ranma retorted. "There's a mark on your chest, right? Maybe looks like a fish?"

The description jarred Ukyo's memory. "That mark! It didn't look like a fish or anything, but I saw it at the baths! It's on the upper part of her right breast."

"I figured." Ranma stepped forward, ready to do what needed to be done. "If we hit the same spot again, it should pull the mark off and get rid of the spell. So just stand there for a sec and let me take care of it, Akane."

Akane scowled at the pigtailed boy, showing no indication of cooperating with him. "No way. You're just jealous."

"Excuse me?"

"You never appreciated Ukyo before, and now you want to get in our way?" Akane planted her feet, taking up a fighting stance. "I won't let you! Nobody can show Ukyo the love she deserves like I can!"

Sighing, Ranma placed a hand on his hip. "Gotta do it the hard way, huh? Fine."

Over by the door, Ryoga was finally getting himself upright again when Ranma tossed him the fishing pole.

"Ryoga, I'm counting on you." Ranma said to him.

Ryoga didn't like being told what to do, especially by Ranma of all people, but helping Akane was the priority here. "Got it."

Just then, Ryoga's knees buckled as Ukyo's combat spatula bent over his head.

"Why did you have that thing on you?" Ukyo chided him. "Do you have any idea how mixed up I've been?"

While Ryoga tried to regain his senses, Ranma cracked his knuckles. "I'll make this quick," he said, pointing to his childhood friend. "Hey, what's Ukyo doing?!"

Akane peeked over at the object of her affections, who merely returned a perplexed look. She quickly pulled her eyes away, only to find that Ranma was now gone. Behind her, Akane felt a pair of arms slip under and around her own, pinning her and leaving her chest wide open. "Hey! Let go!"

Ranma, with his fiancée trapped in front of him, looked to Ryoga. "Now!"

Lowering his head, Ryoga clutched the fishing pole tightly in his hand. "I'm sorry, Akane, but it's for your own good!"

As Ryoga reared back with the pole, taking aim, Akane raised her right leg. "Get OFF of me!" She swung it backwards, drilling Ranma in the groin.

Whimpering, Ranma grabbed his family jewels. He dropped to the floor like a rock.

Not satisfied with just that, Akane proceeded to stomp him further into the wood. "Idiot! Stupid jerk! Pervert!"

Ryoga could only look on, his pale face contorting with discomfort. "That looked…painful. Now what do we do?"

Ukyo couldn't stand by and watch any longer. She stepped out in front of Ryoga, one foot settling on the displaced pillow from her futon. "I told you before, didn't I? You gotta use bait."

"What?" Only after he spoke did Ryoga understand what she meant. "You don't mean…!"

Ukyo stared back into his eyes, a determined look about her. "If I get you an open shot, you can hit it, right?"

Swallowing hard, Ryoga nodded his head. "Good luck."

Ukyo faced forward. Focusing on her target, she drew in a deep breath. "Akane!"

The shout of her name in that melodious voice she was so fond of brought Akane's attention away from Ranma and back to the one she loved.

"Don't listen to them," Ukyo told her. "They can't understand what we have between us."

"You…you mean…?"

"That's right. I feel the same way."

Akane cupped a hand over her mouth, joy welling up inside her.

Across from her, Ukyo opened her arms with a warm, welcoming smile. "Come here, you."

"Ukyo...!" Akane's tears came spilling out as she was overcome with emotion. Unable to resist the invitation, she rushed towards Ukyo.

The okonomiyaki chef waited, ready to jump back at just the right moment. When she made her move, however, the pillow slipped out from beneath her foot. "What?!"

As Ukyo fell back, her balance unrecoverable, she saw the suction cup at the end of the fishing pole's line land upon Akane's dress. The space between she and Akane's bodies closing, Ryoga yanked the cup away just in time. A loud thud followed as Ukyo's back crashed to the floor.

Ryoga grasped the fishing line to get a closer look at the cup. Attached to it was a faint, red mark in the shape of a carp. "This is…!" Before his eyes, the mark faded away, vanishing entirely.

The spell was broken.

"Yes! I did i-…"

Ryoga froze, speechless.

Down on the floor, Akane lay atop Ukyo, eyes closed and arms wrapped around the other girl's neck, their lips pressed together in a deep kiss.

Ukyo blushed furiously, her eyes wide as could be.

Akane's eyelids opened partway. They soon opened fully. She blinked once, then twice more. Slowly, she pulled her head away, her lips making a light smack as they parted with Ukyo's. She and Ukyo stared into each other's eyes. Before long, her face turned beet red.

Frantically untangling herself from the other girl, Akane stumbled away, falling back against the dresser on the side of the room.

"Wha…wha…what have I been DOOOOOIIINNNNGGG?!"

With a cry born of sheer embarrassment, Akane rushed out of the room and down the stairs on her way out of the restaurant.

Ryoga was still standing there, frozen, when he ate an abrupt kick to the face, knocking him to the ground.

"This is all your fault!" Ranma snarled, his hand still gripping the area between his legs. "Jeez, I didn't think she'd kick me like that. Whatever. Guess I should at least bring her stuff back for her. Hey, Ucchan, you know where Akane's things are?"

Failing to get an answer, Ranma directed a curious look at the girl. "Ucchan?"

He waddled over to his old friend and waved his hand in front of her eyes. There was no response.

"Still in shock, huh? Can't really blame her I guess."

* * *

In the morning, while Soun and Genma were out in the dojo and Nabiki was on her way to school already, Ranma and Akane were finishing up their breakfast.

Akane ate slowly. A pair of dark bags under her eyes stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Are you sure you're okay to go to school?" Kasumi asked her sister, sounding concerned.

"I'll manage," Akane muttered.

"I know studying is important, but getting proper sleep is important, too," Kasumi reminded her.

Well, Kasumi wasn't totally wrong, Akane thought. She actually did will herself to study for today's Japanese history test eventually, but not before the hours she spent tossing and turning on her bed, face buried in her blankets, trying unsuccessfully to wipe the events from the last three days from her mind.

With a heavy sigh, Akane set her bowl down, grabbed her school bag and stood. "I'm off."

After watching Akane drag herself out of the room, Ranma noticed Kasumi giving him a certain look. He knew what it meant. "I'll…make sure she gets there."

Ranma caught up with his fiancée, and together the two of them slipped their shoes on at the entrance.

"I don't want to go," Akane grumbled.

"It's fine," Ranma assured her. "Quit worrying about it."

Akane opened the door, leading the way outside. "How am I supposed to face Ukyo, though?"

"Look, so you kissed Ucchan." Ranma shrugged. "Big deal."

That line brought back memories of last night that were like an arrow to Akane's chest.

"You're both girls, so who cares? I mean, yeah, it wasn't exactly a quick peck. You _really_ got in there."

Add two more arrows to the count.

"But still…"

An aura raging around her, Akane promptly punted Ranma off into the distance. "QUIT REMINDING ME!"

Huffing and puffing, Akane hung her head. "I don't want to see her right now, but…I'll have to eventually. And I can't just not go to school. Ugh, why me?"

She stepped through the gate, shutting it behind her on her way out.

"Hey."

Akane felt a shiver run down her spine. That voice…she knew it, and it was definitely not what she wanted to hear right now. Anxiously, she glanced to the side where she spotted none other than Ukyo leaning back against the wall.

"Can we talk?" Ukyo asked her.

Raising her school bag up in front of her face, Akane hid herself behind it. "It's too soooon!"

Ukyo let out a lengthy exhale. "It was all because of that fishing pole. I get it, all right?"

"I know, but…"

"Yeah, it's…still kinda awkward I guess."

Akane finally peeked out over her bag, trying as best she could to actually look at the other girl. "I'm so sorry."

"You've got nothing to apologize for," Ukyo said, walking up to her. "If anything, I'm ticked at Ryoga. Why did he even buy a dumb thing like that?"

"But…I kissed you!" Akane cried. "I don't even know if you ever kissed anyone before that. Please tell me I wasn't your first!"

Ukyo looked away, twiddling her fingers. "W-well…it's not important. I _kinda_ brought that part on myself by acting as the bait anyway." Hearing Akane groan, she brought her eyes back to the girl. "It wasn't that bad, okay? Sure, you wouldn't have been my first choice, but there's plenty of people who would've been worse. Kuno, for example."

Akane shuddered at the thought. "I guess…you're right."

"Right? So cheer up, 'kay?" With a bright smile, Ukyo gave Akane a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

The gesture put Akane at ease a little. "Yeah."

"We good?" Ukyo asked.

Akane smiled back at her. "We're good."

"Phew! What a relief. You have _no_ idea how much this whole thing was weighing on me."

"Weighing on _you_? Think about how I felt!"

"True, true. So, you want to…walk to school together? For old time's sake?"

The suggestion made Akane chuckle. "I guess we could do that."

If this sort of thing had to happen, Akane thought, she was at least glad it happened with someone as understanding as Ukyo. Their conversation wasn't going to erase what took place in recent days, but it certainly made her feel a whole lot better about it.

"By the way, can I ask you something?" Ukyo spoke as they walked.

"Sure. What is it?"

"The other day, at my restaurant…"

Akane gulped. She had a bad feeling about this.

"When you said I spilled something on my leggings…" Ukyo continued, looking over at her, "were you…checking out my butt?"

Whining, Akane threw her bag over the back of her head, burying her face in her arms.

Embarrassment level: back to maximum.

* * *

**The End**


End file.
